I just hope they replace him, and soon. Airbus has had a ridiculously good romp, and it’s been by default – Boeing achieved almost nothing of note in the 14-year long dry spell twixt the 777 and the 787 , while Airbus has done what Boeing used to be quite good at – mixing experience, leading technology, and deep customer relations to create great products.

It’s high time Boeing had a leader who can brilliantly synthesize all of that great raw material into the aerospace powerhouse the company should be. Clearly, ol’ Harry (whose previous claim to fame as CEO was to sell McDonnell-Douglas to Boeing) was not the guy.

Over the next 20 years, China is collectively sitting atop orders for 2,300 or so aircraft, equivalent to about six years production of either Boeing or Airbus. By fundamentally rejecting Russian designs, the government and the airlines are essentially saying they want more technologically robust aircraft. While both Airbus and Boeing will both get orders, somebody will own the larger chunk of the purchases. The only way Boeing will do that is by being perceived as the stronger player. And right now, from Beijing, Boeing not only looks weak, it looks lame.